Italy vs France rugby LIVE: Damian Penaud try seals underwhelming victory for Les Bleus against winless Italy
Re-live the action from the final day of the Six Nations championship
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Your support makes all the difference.Re-live the latest updates live from Six Nations Grand Slam Saturday as Italy suffered a record-stretching 22nd straight defeat against France.
Following two early penalties from Tommaso Allan, France hit back to take the lead through a converted try from Antoine Dupont, with Romain Ntamack adding a further three points before the break.
The visitors stretched their lead afterwards as wing Yoan Huget scored to give them breathing space, but Italy clawed their way back into the match when scrum-half Tito Tebaldi went over for a try. Italy then looked to have scored a second try when debutant Marco Zanon went over, but Damian Penaud wisely dislodged the ball out of his hands and followed up by scoring a well-executed try minutes later to seal the win. Re-live the live action below.
When is the match?
Italy vs France takes place on Saturday 16 March at the Stadio Olimpico.
What time does it start?
The match is scheduled to kick-off at 12:30pm GMT (1.30pm CET).
Where can I watch it?
Live coverage is on ITV from midday.
Teams
Italy: J Hayward (Benetton); E Padovani (Zebre), M Zanon (Benetton), L Morisi (Benetton), A Esposito (Benetton); T Allan (Benetton), T Tebaldi (Benetton); A Lovotti (Zebre), L Ghiraldini (Toulouse), T Pasquali (Benetton), D Sisi (Zebre), F Ruzza (Benetton), A Steyn (Benetton), J Polledri (Gloucester), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt).
Replacements: L Bigi (Benetton), C Traore (Benetton), S Ferrari (Benetton), A Zanni (Benetton), S Negri (Benetton), G Palazzani (Zebre), I McKinley (Benetton), L Sperandio (Benetton).
France: M Medard (Toulouse); D Penaud (Clermont Auvergne), M Bastareaud (Toulon), W Fofana (Clermont Auvergne), Y Huget (Toulouse); R Ntamack (Toulouse), A Dupont (Toulouse); E Falgoux (Clermont Auvergne), G Guirado (Toulon, capt), D Bamba (Brive), F Lambey (Lyon), P Willemse (Montpellier), G Alldritt (La Rochelle), Y Camara (Montpellier), L Picamoles (Montpellier).
Replacements: C Chat (Racing 92), D Priso (La Rochelle), D Aldegheri (Toulouse), P Gabrillagues (Stade Francais), A Iturria (Clermont Auvergne), B Serin (Bordeax-Begles), C Lopez (Clermont Auvergne), T Ramos (Toulouse).
Referee: Matt Carley (England).
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales) and Andrew Brace (Ireland).
Italy 6-10 France, 33 minutes
Mathieu Bastareaud makes some metres from a French line out, but a forced pop pass in contact to Geoffrey Doumayrou is rather destined for failure, and the La Rochelle centre obliges in handing the ball back to the Italians.
Plenty of desire to play rugby from both sides, but too many errors for anything cohesive to emerge so far.
Italy 6-10 France, 34 minutes
Another French knock-on allows Luca Morisi to come through, strong support from the Italians enabling him to somehow work the ball back when it seemed Romain Ntamack had held him up.
Italy 6-10 France, 35 minutes
France strip the ball (fairly in the opinion of Matthew Carley though not the home crowd) and kick into Italian territory, but Damian Penaud transgresses out of frustration, needlessly tackling Angelo Esposito after the winger had kicked the ball, and Italy will have a penalty where the ball landed.
To the corner again.
Italy 6-10 France, 37 minutes
Another opportunity gone.
Leonardo Ghiraldini looks to Parisse at the back again, and this time he overcooks it. France boot the ball away.
Italy 6-10 France, 38 minutes
What a line!
Braam Steyn cuts against the grain as Italy set up two runners inside him to take French defenders away, surging through a massive gap and getting all the way down to the five-metre.
Camille Chat is then penalised. Another Italian mauling opportunity.
Italy 6-10 France, 39 minutes
The initial drive is repelled and the ball spills to floor again, but it's backwards, and Italy retain possession.
Here come the forward carriers...
Italy 6-10 France, 40 minutes
Again!
Sergio Parisse again looks for the offload to cut the French defence open, but finds hard hands alongside him, and this time the ball clearly goes forward.
A wasteful half for Italy, and Conor O'Shea cuts a frustrated figure as he strides down the steps towards the dressing room.
An odd half.
Over 60% of the territory has gone Italy's way and they've been inside the French 22 on a number of occasions, but a string of errors at crucial moments has prevented Conor O'Shea's side capitalising on a strong half.
France took their chance, a lovely kick return from Maxime Medard and Damian Penaud setting up Antoine Dupont to coast in for the score. They, too, have had errors, and the seven penalties conceded in that half will be concerning to Jacques Brunel.
Both sides are clearly here to play rugby, and if the error count drops a little it could be a fantastic second half. The game is there for either team to take.
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